Where the ashes fell
by sshnopeeking
Summary: A slow burning Bellarke and the aftereffects of Clarke leaving camp Jaha. The tolls it takes and how they find each other again.
1. Without Clarke there is darkness

Bellamy sharpened his blade as he prepared to take a group out on a hunting trip. The camp hadnt been as strong as it once was with Clarke gone. Kane and Abby kept trying to take charge but everyone knew Clarke could not be replaced. Clarke and Bellamy had done the unthinkable for their people. It haunted him everyday. When he closed his eyes, when he looked out at the mountain that now resembled a tomb. Worst when he looked at Jasper. Jasper looked hollow now. Everynow and then he would have a spark of interest but he was a shadow of his former optimistic self.

He almost despised Bellamy now, and he couldnt blame him. Between the Grounders, the Mountain Men, the 100, and the Sky People they all had felt the bitter sting of loss. He didnt feel like the good guy anymore. Clarke knew this would happen and he wondered where she was dealing with this. He imagined no matter where she was, she was leading.

He started off toward the largest section of the Ark when he heard cries of pain and a group hustling in the direction of the make shift medic tent they had formed. Picking up his pace to a jog, he could see that Kane was amoungst the group crowding around the injured. He looked to see where Abby was, hoping to see on her face the severity of the situation. When he couldnt spot her, it dawned on him. _Abby was the one of stretcher._

Finally at the tent he had to manuver around several people to see what was wrong. Abby crying out in pain when they tried to hold her still. His felt goosebumps when he looked at saw what was wrong. _Her arm had a huge gash, but also was very clearly broken._

"Abby what happened?" He called out. He needed to know if they should be on the looked out for grounders.

"I slipped on a rock close to the river-aaah!" someone had jostled her and her broken arm fell off the side of the table. "I hit a branch on the way down _._ Her breathing was coming in quick short breaths now.

One of the medics was looking at her shoulders for more injuries. He stopped all of a sudden-"She's not breathing!" He looked at the girl behind him (who also worked with Abby on the Ark in the medical bay.) "Start chest compressions! I need to find out whats causing this!" His hands deftly checked her scalp for bumps-"One, Two Three! Come on Abby!" -He started to rip her shirt for anything wrong in the abdomen-"One, Two, Three! Think of Clarke Abby!- He moved to her shoulders, and her collarbone was broken and purple bruising already forming. "Her collarbone is broken! Her lungs dont have the room to expand. He grabbed a walkie from Kane and quickly before anyone could even move- _crack!-_ his hand had slammed into her shoulder pushing the collarbone back into place.

"One, Two, Three!" the chest compressions continued. When the medic went for mouth to mouth ressusetation Abby started inhaled and started coughing so hard they had to hold her down from hurting her broken arm.

Bellamy relaxed and felt mad at himself. Abby almost died right in front of him and he couldnt do anything about it. He couldnt protect Clarke's own mother.


	2. and so they hunt

Chapter Two.

Bellamy assembled a group together to go hunting after Abby had stabilized. In the back of his mind he knew that he had to go and find Clarke. She was needed here, even though she left. Sometimes when he thought too much about he felt the sting but he knew that that wasnt what this was about.

Abby knew going out for plants and herbs by herself was a bad idea. She couldnt help the feeling that if she were outside the walls, that she would just turn around and would see the blonde hair and would have her daughter again. Clarke would know what to do about Camp Jaha and preparing for winter, whether or not they should preparing for battle. She didnt want to admit it but Clarke knew more about this world than she could fathom.

Back on the Ark it was easy to be the good guy hiding behind all the rules and regulations but being able to break them when your morals interfered. Jaha had always made sure something prevented her from being floated. On Earth it was completely different. Your morals and the greater good were on opposite sides of the compass.

Kane walked in as Abby sighed and rubbed her thigh to keep from falling into a pit of what ifs. What if my daughter is dead? What if she is being tortured by the grounders? The one if that never seemed to dominate was, what if Clarke is doing okay without me?

"Abby? You with us?" She turned to Kane instantly alert. Telling herself everything was okay.

"The council has decided to conserve out energy and cease our search parties for Clarke." he tensed as she puffed up preparing her case.

"That's absurd!" She all but yelled at him. "She is the reason they are alive to make that decision! She should be a priority not forgotten! She saved all of us even if it meant making the hard decision!" She tried to stop the internal crumble. She needed to find her!

"Abby,..we know. What we owe Clarke cannot be measured by any amount. She truly is a leader just like her father." Abby flinched like someone had slapped her. Yet another person she had lost. Someone she betrayed. She wondered if Clarke hated her for her reaction about the bombing of TonDC. If she felt like she really did feel the same way about Mount Weather.

-"The council simply cannot ignore that Clarke left of her own volition. She knows that she has a home here waiting for her. In the meantime we must prepare for winter or if the grounders attack. I'm sorry Abby. I came here to tell you so you wouldn't be blindsided by the council. " Abby nodded recognizing the ghesture from a friend.

Kane sat down next to her and fiddled with his hands as Abby looked out the window resolving to be strong. Her mouth in a straight line as her pretended to not care about what Kane thought. He didnt have any kids. He didnt understand. He reached out and touched her hand.

"Abby..if you need to talk, I am here for you." He looked so vulnerable. She didnt care at that moment. She knew she shouldn't blame him for the end of the search teams, but she didnt know who else to blame right now with Theolonius still missing.

Bellamy looked at the hunting group before him. It could be worse, he thought. A few of the Arkers, Miller, and Monty. The Arkers always seemed to not quite understand things. It was more of a forced reaction with them. The 100 had experienced things all on their own and knew exactly what could happen. He just guessed it was that they came down and no one could help them.

"Listen up! We are just going hunting today, but we need to be careful! This means conserving your bullets and staying low! I dont want anyone seperated from the group, and NO ONE is to shoot a grounder if we see them-(his thoughts went to Finn in that moment)-you must wait for my command! Is that understood?" He saw Monty and Miller nod solemnly, but the other just sort of stood there like sheep waiting to be herded. He walked over to them and looking into each of their eyes he said "I am in charge on this outting is that understood?" He took a moment for them to understand these words and think it through. They slowly nodded so he moved on.

"This is a two day hunting trip. We will make camp at the bunker and turn back. Everyone should have what they need on their person in case of emergency. If we are to seperated we must make our way back to camp using the north star as our compass." Everyone nodded understanding that this was under the most unfortunate of circumstances. They knew if was in their best interest to stay with Bellamy, Monty, and Miller. "Okay let's head out!"

They walked for miles and couldnt see anything. Bellamy wondered if the animals just weren't in this particular area or if it was the Arker's noise as they walked. They walked as carelessly as they would on a beach. Flinging dirt as they walked like sand. He saw Miller flinch as they stepped on twigs. He halted them and turned around "Guys can you walk less like herd of elephant? You don't know whats out here, and usually grounders who are hunting you are much more quite." He said seriously. This wasn't a joke. The grounders or the need for food at the camp.

"What? Grounders? I dont think we should worry about them!" as the cocky Arker who he had come to know as Lars held his gun up. Bellamy sighed. This guy was some special kind of stupid.

Bellamy walked up to him and his mouth was in a thin line. "You think us having guns stopped the grounders from killing some of the 100? No. They were smarter than us. They knew what we would do. You dont have to be the one with the gun to with the fight. You just have to be the smartest." He raised his eyebrow and the Arker's expression just fell. When it came to wits this one knew he wasnt bright. Bellamy turned back around and right as he heard something fly past his ear. An arrow was stuck in the tree next to Bellamy. A grounder's arrow. He knew from the looks of it. Octavia had some in her tent.

"Grounders! Retreat to the bunker!" Bellamy led the group toward the bunker. They were running parallel to a river, but on a high bank, and the river was twenty feet down. Two hundred yards ahead the bunker was hidden on a hillside. More whistles as a arrow landed behind an arkers feet. Somehow all the arrows missed. All of a sudden it made sense. They were being herded.

Bellamy took a quite turn to right as the bank continued but became more risky with less tree cover. He stopped to make sure that everyone followed but as he pivoted the ground started to move beneath him, he fell to one knee and he saw Monty and yelled "Take them to the bunker! I'll follow!" Banking on the fact that Monty hadnt seen the earth shift. He needed them to be safe. He tried to get up but the movement caused to earth to shift even more. He started to fall toward the river bed below. He landed painfully with his head started to ache, and his vision started to blacken at the edges and he felt so weak that he could barely move his head. His vision was almost entirely black when he thought he saw a figure coming out the woods. He tried to speak, but sleep was calling him so strongly all he could do was close his eyes and surrender to the pull.


	3. Lexa is looking for Clarke and Bellamy

Chapter Three.

"How could you lose him?! You seperated him from his people and cut off his path back to the Sky People's camp!" Lexa said in a steely tone. Her narrowed eye looked at Indra. "We need to follow Bellamy, so he can lead us to Clarke. We need to find her." The look on the young commander's face did not suggest any arguments.

"It will not happen again commander." Indra said with resolve. Anyone who knew the commander would know that any sign of weakness would not end with the best of standing. You could not be weak in the grounder camp. Weakness was death.

"No it will not. As I will be going out after Bellamy myself. We will not waste this chance. We let Clarke slip by us once before, we will not let it happen again." A week after Mount Weather, Lexa had heard of a blonde who had evaded a scouting group a day north of Camp Jaha. They lost her tracks at a creek and had been posted at the main rivers since. Lexa would not let an opportunity for a leader like Clarke to pass. Lexa needed to have her council there was no other option.

Someone that powerful could not just walk away. Lexa sat amoungst her furs in her tent. Getting back in Clarke's good graces would prove to be difficult after Mount Weather. Lexa had needed to get her people out and Cage had provided the perfect route. Lexa had her people and that was all that mattered, and for all the other clans knew Mount Weather had surrendered and Lexa was the first commander to achieve this in their history. With this revelation spreading from clan to clan, Lexa had almost proven herself to be the most powerful commander alive. The next step was to make them feel it. For that she needed Clarke.

Lexa did feel guilty about betraying Clarke. She did feel like Clarke was the closest she'd ever had to a true friend. Even if the motives were'nt pure. She met Clarke when she felt like she was vulnerable. She knew she was powerful and the Sky People had outsmarted them before. Lexa had just needed to use that to their advantage.

"Indra!" She yelled to the slit in the tent. She knew she would be awaiting her commander's orders. Indra stepped in. She had a look that said she would follow her commander to certain death. Indra was strong. Almost strong enough to be a commander but certainly not smart enough. She wasnt manipulative enough.

"Get our houses ready. We are to find the boy, before Clarke does." Bellamy would either lead her to Clarke or be her only leverage against her.


End file.
